Captain’s Column: Flattered by interest from other clubs but it was an easy decision to stay a Wildcat

CAPTAIN'S COLUMN: Delighted to sign new deal

Published:16:55Thursday 25 July 2013

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I was delighted to sign the contract and it was a pretty easy decision for me to make in the end.

There were a few things to iron out and work on but Jimmy Elston was really good with me and it was just good to get the deal done.

If I’d have waited until next year I could have started talking to other clubs so the club wanted to get it done now, which was all fine with me.

My agent spoke to me about a few clubs possibly showing interest, which was flattering, but I always wanted to get a new deal done at Wakefield.

I’ve spent some time at a top-four club in Huddersfield and it didn’t really work out for me there. I’m also really enjoying my rugby here, as I’ve said many times, and that’s really important for my game.

The fact the club is signing up players for next season also helped me in my decision.

Chris Tuson has signed from Wigan for next season and he’s a player that’s getting game time for them and has come up through their season so I’m sure he’ll be a great signing. In the past those type of players may not have been attracted to Wakefield so it’s a credit to Rich and the club that they are.

We’re also keeping the core of the squad together. Players like Dean Collis, Timmy Smith and Pauly Aiton are signed up and it bodes well for the future.

I know there have been some financial matters concerning the club recently but I’m not really worried about that.

I still think we’re moving forward on the pitch and we will do off it. If I didn’t think that I’d have taken my time about deciding on a new deal but I’m confident that the future of the club is bright.

Now my focus is on a big game against Leeds Rhinos tonight and I can’t wait to get out there.

The leg is still a bit sore from the injury I suffered at Headingley but I’ve been running and training and I’m sure I’ll be fine to play.

We can take a lot of confidence from our performance on Friday at Leeds. The result wasn’t what we wanted but the performance at the back, to restrict them to just a two-point margin when they had a lot of possession was great for us. Players such as Frankie Mariano did a great job, Kyle Trout as well who came in from his dual reg with Doncaster, he got a few good hits on Jamie Peacock.

Taulima is itching to get back to action. He’ll be a bit like a new signing for us because he came in and made a great impact at the Magic Weekend and the game after that and then got injured. There’s a lot of excitement for what he can add to the team and I’m really looking forward to seeing him get a run of games.